Bar Aspen has laid down roots.
For those who didn’t get a chance to go, Aspen was a fantastic little pop up wine speakeasy. Yes, ‘pop up wine speakeasy’ weren’t words we’d naturally sling together, but the man behind Diogenes the Dog, the excellently named Sunny Hodge, made it work.
Hodge, it should be noted, is apparently obsessed with philosophy. So much so that his new wine bar, Aspen & Meursault, isn’t even named after the wine Meursault. It’s named after the main character in Albert Camus’ existential classic The Stranger. And as for the Aspen bit? Apparently that’s a reference to the mind-pretzeling notion that all Aspen trees make up “the second largest living organism in the world, all sharing a common root system”.
The venue itself is down in Battersea, and it serves exclusively natural wines. By day, it’s a cafe & deli serving up house-roasted coffee, fresh bread, pastries, all manner of treats, and of course bottles of wine (which they’re selling at reduced retail prices). The space is light airy, and has all wood & windows, with warm yellows walls to match, and a beautiful brick fireplace in the centre. The only hint of moodiness come from their elegant grey dining room (the ‘snug’) with its long banqueting table.
Food-wise, it’s all pretty simple and vino-friendy. We’re talking cheese boards, charcuterie, baked camemberts fresh burrata, or just a plate of anchovies & blue cheese. And thanks to their bread & pastry offerings, they also have freshly made, hand piped cannolis for dessert.
The wine is all natural, and low-intervention, and spans a whole load of the globe. There’s new world, old world, Greek wine, Welsh wine, Czech ice wine, you name it. They even have their own Diogenese The Dog label red & whites from Puglia. It’s biodynamic with no sulphites or finings, and it’s only a tenner a bottle if you bring your own to be refilled. In fact, all the wine is pretty well-priced – Hodge is keen to make these wines as accessible as possible.
That’s his own personal philosophy.
NOTE: Aspen & Meursault is open Tues-Sun. You can find out more, and make a booking at their website right HERE.
Aspen & Meursault | 96 Westbridge Road, SW11 3PH
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Carpe Diem!